Rat Wakes Red is James Raftery (vocals, guitar,
keyboard and other sounds) and Jeral Benjamin (viola). From Raftery
we get a voice reminiscent of Elliott Smith, combined with the
finger-picking of Nick Drake. As you can imagine, the end result
borders on dismal, or what the duo refers to as "odes to
longing and loss." Multi-layered harmonies mixed in with
strings and keyboards create a wall of sound that enhances the
all-encompassing sound of this drumless neo-gothic folk. And
Raftery is quite the storyteller, which is part of what breaks
your heart, because it often sounds as though he is speaking
directly to you. It's a little difficult to take in large doses,
since the down-trodden feeling you get from hearing it will put
you in tears or curled up in the fetal position. In small doses
though, it is lush and lovely, and if you're into lying around
and feeling sorry for yourself, let the entire thing play through.